Wyatt parents angry over hospital decision

The parents of severely disabled two-year-old Charlotte Wyatt have spoken of their anger and disappointment at not being allowed to bring their daughter home for Christmas Day.

Debbie, 24, and Darren Wyatt, 33, had hoped a brief visit home by Charlotte last week would lead to her coming home solely under their care for a whole day later this month.

But the couple, of Portsmouth, Hampshire, were told today that no visits would be allowed until the New Year.

Mrs Wyatt said: "We felt last week's visit was successful and we were looking forward to having Charlotte home for Christmas Day.

"But now we have been told it won't be until after Christmas and we haven't been given any guarantee of when.

"We feel we haven't got any control over our daughter's life, we feel we are not the parents any more."

Mrs Wyatt added that she would be consulting with their lawyer about the situation.

A spokeswoman for the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust said she could not comment because of patient confidentiality.

During the two-hour visit last week, two hospital staff accompanied Charlotte to oversee her care at home.

It is understood that the hospital feels the family are not yet ready to look after Charlotte on their own.

And also a date in the spring was being worked towards for unaided care by the Wyatts of Charlotte at home.

The Wyatt family won a High Court ruling last month which lifted an earlier declaration that doctors at St Mary's hospital, Portsmouth, need not give Charlotte artificial ventilation in a life-threatening situation.

Charlotte was born three months prematurely, only the length of a ballpoint pen and weighing just 1lb. She has serious brain, lung and kidney damage.

Following her premature birth and several resuscitations doctors described Charlotte's quality of life as "terrible" and said she had no feeling other than continuous pain.

In the absence of consent from her parents, who also have two sons, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust had obtained an order from the courts allowing its doctors not to ventilate her again in the event of another respiratory crisis.

In October last year the High Court agreed with the doctors.

But the couple, who are committed Christians, refused to give up on Charlotte, saying she was a "fighter" and that miracles do happen.

Over the course of the last year her condition has improved and they say she has now crossed an "invisible line" which means she should be given life saving treatment if she needs it.